I’ll probably end up eliminating one of the Ghost/Bird stories, but we’ll see. Who knew that was a combo I’d like? I’m not particularly fond of either individually! [Update 3/15/18: I left “If a Bird Can Be a Ghost” off my ballot here, but I nominated Allison Mills for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.]

I’m feeling the most prepared for this category because I made a point of reading all the 2017 original short fiction from eight sources: